


Whimsical Week

by No1DigiBakuFan



Series: Once Upon A Paladin [2]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Historical, Alternate Universe - Mulan (1998) Fusion, Alternate Universe - Spy and Rebelion, Assassination Plot(s), Austerity, Bad Lying, Bad Matchmaking, Banter, Chance Meetings, Choking, Conspiracy, Crossdressing, Crush at First Sight, Curse Cured with True Love, Dad Kolivan, Deadly nightshade, Drowning, Family Reunions, Fire Party, Flirting, Found Family, Gift Giving, Gossip, Homophobia, Insomnia, Kid Keith (Voltron), Knights - Freeform, Life Saving, Multi, Mutual Pining, Mythical Beings & Creatures, Open Ending, Phantom Theives, Pining Lance (Voltron), Pining Shiro (Voltron), Poisoning, Praying for death, Reincarnation, Shapeshifters - Freeform, Suicide Attempt, Swearing, Tragic Romance, Watching Someone Sleep, Wizard Culture, Wizards, falling, lowkey Kink Shaming, magical bond that forces one partner to do everything the other tells them, not a happy ending this time around, parting is such sweet sorrow, revenge quest, suffocation, talking to almost dead people
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-05
Updated: 2017-11-11
Packaged: 2019-01-29 19:26:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 19,076
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12637623
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/No1DigiBakuFan/pseuds/No1DigiBakuFan
Summary: Here we go again!November 5th: Lanterns/ShanceNovember 6th: The Guard/SheithNovember 7th: Masquerade/KeitorNovember 8th: Star Crossed/PidtorNovember 9th: Enchanted Slumber/PalluraNovember 10th: Storybook (Classic Fairy Tale Retelling Day!)/AllurivanNovember 11th: Constellations/Kolivunk





	1. Lanterns

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance is a normal servant of the royal family, no one all that special. But he does have a family and he does miss them terribly. Will he ever see them again?

_Once upon a time, when this world was still young and humans hadn’t forgotten their magical companions, a tyrant ruled the heavens._

_The Jade Emperor brought destruction to Earth and pain to the Heavens. No one could escape his cruelty, not even in the Underworld. He was a petty man as well, which didn’t brode well for many._

_The Jade Emperor owned a crane; it was a truly beautiful creature, but he couldn’t stand captivity, being treated as less than a beast by the evil king._

_So the crane fought his way to Earth in hopes of escaping the Jade Emperor’s clutches._

“AHHHHHHHHHHHH!” Shiro cries out, an arrow in his wing and falling faster and faster.

He can see the hunters coming for him, the humans so desperate for food, struggling to move through the marsh. If nothing else, he’ll make a good meal for them but… is this how he wants it to end? Barely having escaped Emperor Zarkon, only to become some human’s dinner? What a disgraceful way to die. Hopefully the fall will sever his spirit from his body before that happens.

Shiro looks to the ground and his eyes widen in shock.

A boy is running below him, arms out wide as if attempting to catch him.

“HOLD ON!” The boy bellows.

Shiro curls in on himself, not wanting to see the look on the boys face when he hits the ground. That would be more painful than anything else that could happen to him now-

“UGH-AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”

-arms embrace him-

-rolling, rolling, sickening, hurting, ouch-

-stop.

6 breaths.

Shiro opens his eyes and stares in shock.

The boy (more of a teenager, really) blinks at him with small blue eyes, short brown hair and beautiful brown skin. He’s covered head to toe in dirty water, mud and plant juices, wearing darker brown robes.

Then gives him a wide and honest smile, “I knew I’d get you.”

Shiro can do nothing but stare at the teen.

“Hey you!”

Oh no, it’s the hunters.

The teen stands up just as the hunters come charging up to him. Shiro considers feigning death, but decides against it. They’ll kill him either way and it’s not as if he could fly with his injured wing.

The hunter at the front, a dark skinned man with a goatie, black hair and one eye closed scowls, “I believe you have our catch, boy.”

The teen gapes at him, disgust showing on his face, “Excuse me? Sir, do you have any idea who’s crane you just shot with that dastardly arrow of yours?!”

The three hunters gape at the teen, “Huh?”

He continues, scowling, “This crane belongs to Emperor Alfor and this is his roaming grounds for whenever he desires to leave the castle!”

The first hunter scoffs, “Oh yeah, good one boy, now hand me my dinner.”

The teen holds Shiro closer to him and he flushes under his feathers, head resting on the boy’s chest; his heart’s beating so quickly, is that normal for humans, “Don’t believe me? I’ll have you know I am Lance McClain, the royal attendant of Princess Allura, so I would know where royal property is.”

One of the other hunters, a man with blonde hair scowls, “Iverson, I’m getting tired of this boy’s nonsense.”

“As am I.”

Heads turn to find a soldier walking towards them on horseback, a scowl on his face, scar over his eye, very dark skin with red patterns painted on his face and hair falling into a long white braid that reaches his heart.

Lance smiles, nervously chuckling, “Hi Kolivan.”

Iverson gapes, “General Kolivan?!”

Kolivan gives the hunters a cold glare, “I would appreciate it if you all took your leave before I decide to report you to the Emperor for trespassing on royal property.”

The hunters turn tail and run.

Lance gulps and holds Shiro a little closer.

Kolivan sighs and gives him a look, “Tend to the crane’s injuries then spend all of tomorrow polishing the castle with Coran.”

Lance gapes, “What?! But why?”

Kolivan says, “Because you told ridiculous lies and attempted to use your position to manipulate others. Poorly. If you’re going to lie or throw weight around, at least be good at it.”

Lance pouts, “But they didn’t need to know I was lying.”

Kolivan narrows his eyes.

Lance sighs, “Fine, I’ll polish the stupid castle with Coran, no big deal, I can totally handle that pain in the-”

“Language!” Kolivan scolds, “Now get back on your horse and stop running off.”

Lance nods, “Yes General.”

He walks forward and looks down at Shiro. He gives him another smile and Shiro’s heart beats faster.

“I’ll fix you up, don’t worry.” Lance promises.

Shiro knows he’ll follow through.

* * *

Lance hums as he carries the crane in his arms, fighting to keep a smile on, “Isn’t it great, Takashi? You finally get to go home, wherever that is!”

The crane blinks up at him, intelligent grey eyes staring at him.

Lance fakes a giggle as he climbs the tower, to try to give the crane as much height as it would need to make it back home, “You’ll get to see your family again and your bedroom or wherever it is you sleep at night.”

The door at the top of the spiral wall appears. Lance opens it and smiles for real as the sun shines on him, warming him on the outside as his heart aches with cold and hurt on the inside. He walks to the edge of the tower and he places Takashi on the ground.

He kneels before the crane, “Now it’s time to get you flying.”

Lance reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small fish. Takashi gazes at it, longingly.

“You want it?” Lance starts running, holding his hand out, “Come get it!”

Takashi chases after him, wings out wide, flapping as he tries to keep up with the human.

Lance laughs, “Come on, you nearly got it, Takashi!”

Takashi flies for Lance’s hand. He throws the fish over the tower. Takashi dives for it and keeps flying for the sun.

“GOODBYE!” Lance yells, waving as his eyes grow wet, “GOODBYE TAKASHI! TAKE CARE!”

He hears a call from the crane before he disappears into the distance.

Lance lowers his hand and tears stream down his face, falling to his knees. He sobs into his hands, wanting to be loud, trying to be quiet, letting his grief consume him.

There went his only friend.

Lance sits there, curled up on the stone floor, sobbing into his hands, knees to his chest ‘till long after the stars came out with their companion the moon.

* * *

Shiro looks at his human form in the river, giggling slightly. Humans look quite silly as far as he’s concerned, but they can be very handsome as well.

Speaking of handsome humans, he needs to find Lance. He owes that teen his life.

Shiro turns from the river and walks into the town. He smiles as he watches young children run about playing games while people behind stands yell at the top of their lungs. Men and women talk to one another while teenagers hold hands and drag each other this way and that way. Humans were so lively.

Shiro giggles as he arrives at the castle front doors, then knocks.

A guard opens it a creak, “What are you here for? Who are you?”

Shiro straights up, “I’m Takashi Shirogane, of the Arusian Noble House. I’m here to visit Princess Allura and her father, the Emperor.”

The guard scowls at him, “I’ve never heard of that House and the royal family are incredibly busy right now. Goodbye.”

The door is slammed in his face.

Shiro blinks and turns around. No one’s around to see him.

Shiro closes his eyes and feels his magic circling him, changing his form to meet his other half. Soon enough, he stands before the gates, a mere crane, then takes off, flying over the high castle walls and settling himself in the palace garden. He flies around, circling, looking for Lance while his heart pounds in his chest.

He finds him.

And feels his heart shatter.

Lance is standing alone in front of the well, head hung and shoulders shaking, raising a foot and placing it on the stone wall. Shiro descends to the ground, transforming and hitting it at a roll, then running to Lance. He could hear his sobs from his hiding place, they get louder as Shiro runs through the trees, trying to reach him before-

He hurts out of the bushes into a clearing.

Lance sits there on the well wall, frozen in shock, eyes wide.

Shiro realizes he must make quite the sight; someone in human noble man wear, with twigs, leafs, all over him, out of breathe and probably looking a bit crazed.

Shiro straightens his back and coughs into his hands, “A-are you alright, sir?”

Lance blinks at him and gives a large fake smile, swinging his legs away from the well, “Oh yeah, I’m fine Mister, sorry if I disturbed your walk-”

Shiro walks a bit closer, waving his hands, “Oh no, it wasn’t a disturbance at all, I could use some company actually.”

Lance gapes at him.

Shiro hesitantly sits beside Lance on the well wall, looking up at the clouds, “It’s uhh, a lovely day, isn’t it?”

Lance nods, quickly, “Yeah, it’s beautiful.”

The two sit in silence, awkward and a flush rising to Shiro’s cheek. Why is he so useless when Lance needs him, God damnit?! Stop talking about the weather and try to find out why he was going to jump into the well!

Shiro takes a breathe, “If you’re okay with talking about it to me, would you please tell me why you were crying?”

Lance stares at him, voice trembling, “But, but why do you wanna hear about my stupid problems that I shouldn’t be crying about anyway?”

Shiro turns to face him and finds new tears streaming down Lance’s face, “Because I don’t like seeing people in pain. It’s never stupid to cry about something. If I can help, please let me.”

He opens his arms, offering them to Lance. Lance trembles and flings himself into Shiro’s chest, sobbing as loud as possible, clinging to him as if afraid he’d disappear if he didn’t. Shiro wraps his arms around Lance’s frame, running a hand down his back, rocking them back and forth. Lance sobs into his chest, then just cries softly. Sniffles and whimpers. Clings to him silently.

Shiro continues to rub his back and rock them, waiting for Lance to tell him what’s wrong.

“My family…” Lance sniffles, “I, I haven’t seen them once since I came here an-and I thought I could handle it, I knew I wouldn’t see them again for a long t-time but I, I miss them so much!” He continues to wail, but more quietly, “I miss my mother’s hugs! I miss my father’s kisses! I miss my older sister teaching me sword! I miss my older brother teaching me make up! I miss my grandparents and aunt and nieces and nephews and I don’t know how to get to them!” Lance tightens his hold, “I’m a terrible servant, I could get sacked any day, but I need this job to support them. I don’t know what to do.”

Shiro continues to hold the teen and tries to think of something, “Don’t worry. I promise you I’ll help you see your family again.”

Lance pulls back slightly, rubbing at his eyes, “How?”

Shiro runs a hand over Lance’s head and finds himself loving the feel of his hair between his fingers, “I’ll think of something. I swear it.”

Lance smiles at him, sniffle as more tears fall, “Thank you.”

* * *

Lance laughs loudly, “Really?! You tapped the lantern and it fell to pieces?!”

Lord Shirogane flushes, “It’s not my fault, I warned Matt not to buy such a flimsy thing from someone so shifty!”

Lance giggles, “Still, I can’t imagine he was happy with you.”

Shirogane groans, face in one of his hands, “He put his little sister on me. She’s a monster, that girl will be the next great inventor of our time, she’s already created contraptions you’d never think of. She forced me to be the ‘test subject’ of an automatic targeting system on one of her arrow spitting machines.”

Lance winces, “Ouch, that doesn’t sound like fun.”

Shirogane sighs, falling on his back in the grass, “It really isn’t.”

“LANCE!”

Lance gasps, jumping to his feet, “Oh no.”

Shirogane stands up, reaching for his waist, “Is something wrong?”

Lance nods, “Must be; that’s Hunk, he’s a friend of mine. He’s supposed to be a messenger from the heavens. He only comes running like that if something terrible has happened.”

Shirogane stiffens, “Wonderful.”

Hunk bursts out of the trees in his robes, “LANCE!”

Lance runs to him, embracing him, “Hey, buddy, it’s cool, calm down.”

Hunk grabs his arms, shaking him, “IT’S NOT COOL WHEN THE EMPEROR’S SON IS HERE AND IN NEED OF MEDICAL ATTENTION!”

Lance grabs at his friend’s arms, “Buddy, chill out, I’m getting dizzy here.”

“Oh.” Hunk lets him go, “Sorry.”

Lance sways for a few seconds, knowing he’s going to fall-

Hands rest on his shoulders, holding him steady, “Hunk, could you calmly tell us what happened? I thought the Emperor didn’t have a son.”

Hunk shakes his head and turns around, walking; they follow him, Shirogane keeping his hands on Lance’s shoulders (and wow, do his hands feel nice), “Our Emperor doesn’t, no, but the Jade Emperor Zarkon does. He has two sons actually, Prince Lotor, he’s next in line for the throne in the heavens, if the great witch Haggar doesn’t come into power. Prince Keith is here and he’s hurt pretty badly.”

Lance shakes himself free of Shirogane’s hands (he needs to focus and those marvelous hands make it near impossible), “But I thought the Gods couldn’t be hurt?”

Hunk shakes his head, “By mortal weapons? No, but fellow Gods hurting them? Yeah, that’s gonna do some serious damage. Considering the nature of his injuries, I think the Jade Emperor himself attacked Prince Keith.”

Shirogane inhales sharply, “But then why is he on Earth? He’ll heal fastest if he returns to the heavens and his castle.”

Hunk sighs, “I don’t know. Maybe the Jade Emperor made it impossible for him to get to his castle, so he hid on Earth?”

Lance looks at his feet, “I hope the Prince will be okay.”

He’d heard tales of the Jade Emperor’s cruelty since he was a child and knew of the pain those who opposed him faced. He can’t imagine what Prince Keith had done to deserve the injuries, but he finds it hard to believe it would be a deserving punishment.

A hand on his shoulder. Lance lifts his head to see Shirogane giving him a soft smile that makes his face slightly flush and his heartbeat pick up.

“Prince Keith has always been trained by the Gods of War and has been known to best even his older brother in combat.” Shirogane promises, “I’m sure he’s fine.”

Lance smiles and nods, “Thank you Lord Shirogane.”

Shirogane shakes his head, “Just Shiro is fine, Lance.”

Lance nods, “Alright then.”

Shiro smiles at him and gives his shoulder a squeeze.

Lance turns his head to hide his flush.

* * *

Shiro winces as he watches Keith being tended to. Those are definitely his father’s marks, they might actually kill him if he’s not careful. He shouldn’t be on Earth, he needs to be in the heavens.

Stupid Prince is gonna get himself killed.

Princess Allura and Emperor Alfor are here too; his identity is at risk, damnit.

Alfor turns to them, “You brought him, Hunk?”

Hunk nods, “Yeah, I don’t know why Prince Keith wanted me to find Lance, but I did. His friend is here, too, Mister…”

Keith grunts, “Shiro.”

Heads turn to Keith, who can barely move. Shiro settles a hand on his arm, “Hold still, your highness, you’ll hurt yourself.”

Keith spits out, “Shiro is a good friend o-of mine. Tr-treat him as such.”

Lance squawks, “You’re friends with a God Prince?!”

Keith groans, “Ha-have to warn you, a-about Father-”

“Keith calm down.” Shiro orders, kneeling, “You need to go back to the heavens, you can’t stay on Earth with injuries like that.”

Keith coughs, “I, I can’t go back! Ba-banished!”

Lance approaches fearfully, “But why?”

Keith whimpers, “To, to warn you-” He yelps in pain as he moves wrong, curling in on himself, “Father angry. Destroy town.”

“WHAT?!” Hunk and Lance shriek.

Allura takes a step towards Keith, “Destroy us with what?”

“Fi-fireballs.” Keith gets out before going still.

Lance whimpers, “Is, is he dead?”

Shiro shakes his head, “No. Once a God has been banished, they become mortal and are given scars for the rest of their life as a reminder of their punishment. The very last of Keith’s powers slipped away just now. In the condition he’s in, it was all they could do to keep his body alive. He’ll survive the night, but he’ll need medical attention. Princess Allura, Emperor Alfor,” Shiro turns around, “I suggest having him watched for the night and to keep your best healers on hand.”

Alfor nods, “I’ll go find them. Until then, try to find a way to divert this catastrophe.”

Alfor leaves the room.

Lance, Hunk, Allura and Shiro stare at each other.

* * *

Lance knocks on the door, nerves in his blood.

“Enter.” Emperor Alfor calls.

Lance, Hunk, Allura, Shiro and Keith step into the room.

Emperor Alfor stands from his throne, walking towards them, “Do you have a plan?”

Hunk smiles and looks to Shiro, “Shiro came up with an idea, yeah.”

Shiro shakes his head, “Lance gave me the idea.”

Lance feels his face warm, “But you came up with a plan, Shiro, all I did was mention lanterns.”

Shiro opens his mouth-

“The plan, Shirogane?” Emperor Alfor enquires.

Shiro coughs, “Of course, sir. Might I have a map of the city, please?”

Emperor Alfor nods, “There’s one on the wall.”

He stands from his throne and everyone walks towards the wall. Shiro grabs the pointer on hand and turns to the group, “The plan goes like this; we need to make the Jade Emperor think the city is burning. We do that by making it look like it’s happening. Get the people to hang up red lanterns all over the city and wear clothing of firey colours. We place bonfires in any space we can spare for them. But we particularly need them here,” Shiro points at the castle, “and at the four corners of the city.”

Hunk grins, “I also suggest bringing out the overns and letting the bakers get to work. Ohh and firecrackers, get those going all over the city!”

Allura points to the town square, “If we can, we should bring in some fire breathers and dancers.”

Lance gasps as an idea comes to mind, “Oh, we should have people walking around with lanterns and get some fireworks going.”

Emperor Alfor smiles, “You’ve all come up with some incredible ideas, but what about the safety? Not everyone in this city has been trained in fire prevention and things could quickly get dangerous in this sort of event.”

Shiro turns to the Emperor, “That’s where your staff come in, your highness.”

Lance blinks, turning to Shiro, “How do we help?”

Shiro turns to Lance smiling and oh no, heart, you are not beating more quickly than usual, focus Lance, “All of you have been trained in fire prevention and how to look for fire signs. I suggest having the castle staff walking around the city with the equipment to stop a fire, should they come across one that’s gone out of control.”

Emperor Alfor hums, “That seems like a good plan to me.” He smiles, “Let’s put it into action.”

They nod.

* * *

Shiro smiles as he walks around the lantern lit city. It’s a beautiful sight, along with the fireworks and the smell of tangyyuan in the air. He can hear children laughing and an excited buzz of chattering among the adults. Performers are impressing everyone if the calls of shock and awe are anything to go by.

He checked from the heavens earlier to see if they looked like they were a blaze. They did.

Now he can focus on helping Lance.

“It’s a beautiful night.” Lance declares, smile lighting up the night far better than the lantern he holds does, “I’m glad we saved the city.”

“Yeah, it is beautiful.” Shiro murmurs, looking at Lance, smiling softly.

Lance turns his face to look at Shiro, flushes and looks away.

Shiro chuckles and he guilds them around the corner, “This is the last street on our patrol then you’re free for the night.”

Lance blinks at him, “Really? Just like that?”

Shiro nods, “Yeah, you’ve been working really hard Lance. I’m going to go visit Keith to make sure he’s alright before turning in myself.”

“Do you have anywhere to stay?” Lance turns to him, “I mean, we don’t want you going without.”

Shiro flushes as the thought of sleeping beside Lance enters his mind, “I’m good, don’t worry-”

“Lance?”

Lance freezes.

Shiro looks over his shoulder and smiles at the woman, “Hello Miss. I’m Takashi Shirogane. I came here to drop your son off for a well deserved rest. He’s excellent at the palace, but I could see he needed some time off, so here he is.”

Lance slowly turns around to face the woman at the end of the road. A man steps out of the house she was in and gapes, “Lance?!”

Lance starts crying, dropping his lantern (which Shiro managed to catch), running for the couple.

The couple hold him, crying as well. Another person comes out the house, yells back something along the lines of “Lancy Lance is back” and suddenly he can hardly see Lance around the sea of relatives who are holding him. Lance is still heard crying and laughing though.

Shiro quietly lets down Lance’s lantern, turns into a crane and flies into the night.


	2. The Guard

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith has a forest to protect. Shiro needs a place to stay. What's wrong with sharing?

_ In a land far, far from our own, there exists a forest that is eternally on fire. The trees never wither and turn to ash, instead blooming and bursting into beautiful colours while the flames that eat them alive continue to do so. The ground has trails of fire wherever travelers have walked and the flowers are hot to the touch. The animals are all fire possessors or have some sort of effect on the firey plants around them, while the river runs with lava just under the surface.  _

_ The reasons for this are unclear (maybe it’s a curse, or a protective enchantment or this is just how the forest was meant to be), but it is known that this forest has two guardians.  _

_ One is a mischievous witch, using her plants to poison and kill those who seek to do this forest harm and she is only seen in the sunlight. She creates plants to heal the animals or forsakes them depending on her mood. The other is a savage barbarian, swinging his fists of flames at anyone who opposes him, seen only under moonlight. He hunts the animals at random, showing no respect as he takes from them what he needs. _

_ For hundreds of years, the Burning Forest has been protected by this two. _

_ But then it all changed when a traveller came through. _

Keith hums as he bounces among the trees, keeping watch over the forest as the day-light creatures sleep, the nocturnal beasts going about their business. Things are always the same in this incredible place where one choice could mean the difference between life and death. One sound too many could lead to hunger or salvation. One moment too many of hesitation could lead to death or satisfaction.

“Is this the place?”

“Yep. That’s the tree.”

One choice is always certain though.

You enter this forest seeking to harm it or it’s creatures and you regret it for the rest of your life. If you live that long, that is.

Keith smirks as he feels the anger rise within him, like bile in the back of his throat as the men talk of how some other man with power would love to have a tree from the Burning Forest in his great hall. Oh how those fucks will regret this.

He draws his blade, pressing the flat, blunt side of the blade to his open palm and feels the fire consume him.

* * *

Keith yawns as he trudges back into the cave.

“Nice to see you finally home.” Pidge murmurs.

He shrugs, “Stupid tree hunters decided to get in a scratch on one of our 10-year-olds. He actually nicked it, it took a lot of energy to heal the poor thing after kicking those bastards asses. Lucky for me a wisp happened upon me and was willing to lend me his fire. Only reason I didn’t collapse and get kidnapped by some stupid human or something.”

Pidge tuts him, “You should’ve kept a better watch on your flames.”

Keith sighs, “Yeah, yeah, now is there any food left?”

Pidge shrugs, “A couple of berries, plus some fox meat. How’s that for you?”

Keith drools.

“Savage.” She finishes her bowl of berries and walks out the door, “Later, night watch.”

“Witch.” He grabs the other bowl of berries and scarfs it down, “Buh-bye, day bird.”

* * *

Shiro runs as fast as he can, desperate, afraid, needing shelter-

He stumbles over roots, but he doesn’t look back, even as he hears the army stop-

He chokes on the air, smoke in his lungs-

Shiro feels tears fall down his face, his panic rising-

_ Get out, get out, get out, get out, get out, get out- _

_ “GET OUT ALIVE SHIRO!” _

He chokes on his tears-

Stumbles-

And doesn’t get up this time. He doesn’t have any energy left. He’s going to die in this burning forest, perish with the rest of it, Ulaz’s efforts wasted.

He still has so much left to do…

Shiro hears more than sees the boots walking towards him. He hopes they kill him before he’ll be burned alive. He hopes they’ll be kind and quick. When was the last time anything he hoped for came to fruit, though?

The person kneels before him.

Shiro catches a flash of violet eyes.

Then the world is black.

* * *

The first thing he notices when he’s awake is that he’s cool. He feels cleaner than he has in the last year and lighter. Is he in heaven or something?

“Nice to see you awake, human.”

Shiro blinks and turns his head to see a young woman standing over him. Her brown hair is incredibly short, her body adored by a green dress and darker green clothing under it, covering her pale skin up to her wrists, neck and ankles, he assumes. He can’t see the woman’s feet from here.

She scoffs, “Hang on, you probably need some water and food. Kinda forget that you humans need that stuff.”

She walks off and comes back with a wooden glass full of something, clearly hand carved and a wooden bowl with a variety of fruits in it.

Shiro takes the water from her first, drinking it in little sips.

“I’m Pidge, by the way.” She smirks, “The Guardian Treea of this Forest.”

Shiro chokes.

Pidge smirks, “What, never seen a Treea before?”

Shiro nods, dumbly.

“Well get used to it.” Pidge rolls her eyes, “With injuries like yours, you’re going to be stuck with us for a while yet.”

Shiro blinks, “Us?”

Pidge raises an eyebrow, “Do I look strong enough to haul you across the eternally burning forest floor at night?”

Shiro looks at his lap, “Oh.”

Pidge tuts him, “Calm down human, you’ll meet Keith soon enough. The dawns coming, so I’m about to head out and do my daily protecting, anyway.”

Shiro smiles, “Thank you, for looking after me.”

Pidge scoffs, “Don’t get used to it, I’m a hermit out here for a reason.”

Shiro nods and begins to eat the berries, fighting off tears of relief to finally have something in his stomach. Pidge walks off with his empty water mug and Shiro enjoys the peace he feels from this moment.

“PIDGE?!”

“YOUR HUMAN’S IN YOUR ROOM, CALM DOWN YOU STUPID SAVAGE! It’s too fucking early to be shrieking like a mad man.”

“I’LL SHRIEK IF I WANT TO, WITCH AND HE’S NOT MINE!”

Shiro giggles before taking his next mouthful.

“Just remember to sleep idiot and don’t treat him like a puppy. He’s not your new pet and he’s going back to the human world as soon as he’s healed.”

“Who the fuck you calling a pet?!”

Shiro glances at the door-

Sees the utterly beautiful man standing there-

Chokes on his fruit-

Promptly starts coughing and manages to make out the guy patting his back while ordering Pidge around. Once he can breathe again, he calms down a little and smiles at the man.

“Hi.” Shiro manages, “Thank you for rescuing me.”

The man huffs, “Whatever. I wasn’t about to let someone in need die in my forest.”

Shiro sits up a little bit more and offers his hand, “I’m Shiro. Takashi Shirogane, to be exact, but that’s what everyone calls me. Shiro.”

The man smiles and clasps his hand back, “Keith, the Guardian Flamela of this Forest.”

_ With the arrival of this traveller, the savage and the witch became very attached to him. They kept the traveller in their grotto, deep in the forest, out of sight of any possible rescuers. No one would ever get that close while the two were working together. _

_ The savage decided he was going to attempt to charm the young traveller into staying with them, treating him rudely by human standards, but the traveller found it so endearing, he nearly forgot about leaving. He almost didn’t want to leave. _

_ The two became rather close, acting as near to lovers as a savage could manage. It was all going according to his plan- _

_ Until new monsters came to the forest. Ones far worse than the savage and witch. _

* * *

Pidge wanders the forest, the sun on her back giving her more energy, the moisture in the air rejuvenating her. Spring was always her best season, she could protect the forest best in times like this.

“Where is he?!”

“Ahh! I hate this stinking forest!”

Pidge growls and places her hand on a tree, using the leaves as her eyes, the twigs as her ears, showing her the trespassers.

Two men. Black armour. One larger, stronger; one smaller, quicker. Blood. Sweat. Hatred.

Oh if that isn’t something Pidge recognises daily. She summons her vines, pollens and prepares to unleash her traps on the bastards.

* * *

Keith’s eyes harden.

Shiro blinks at him, “What’s wrong?”

Keith turns his eyes to the entrance, “Pidge’s in trouble. I can feel it in our bond, the forest it’s… It’s calling for me because she can’t handle whatever she’s doing right now.”

Shiro tries to stand, “I’ll help-”

“No.” Keith forces him back down with one hand, “The forest is scared enough of you as it is, not to mention how weak you are. You’re not going to be much help either; the last time the forest called me during the day, Pidge nearly died because of the enemy we faced. I nearly died.”

Shiro stays frozen, then nods, “Be safe.”

Keith flushes but manages a smile, “It’s in my job description.”

* * *

Keith fights tears as he grits out, “Well Nymph?!”

“Jeez Keith, take a chill pill.” Lance huffs, “I maybe the Guardian Waterus and the best healer in the world, but I’m not a rushing miracle worker. I need time and patience to get Pidge fixed up. So basically, get out or calm down.”

Keith huffs, “Fine!”

He walks out the door and Lance focuses on healing the Treea and mutters prayers under his breathe.

Shiro sits in the corner, useless, “Will she be okay?”

Hunk smiles and pats him on the shoulder, “She’ll be fine, don’t worry man. Lance is the most skilled Waterus I’ve ever seen and Pidge isn’t one to quit.”

Shiro nods, “Well, you did say a Earthil never lies, so I’ll take your word for it.”

Hunk nods, “True, true. Now go talk to Keith. He could use a shoulder to lean on in times like this, but he really hates admitting that.”

Shiro stands, “Been planning on it, honestly.”

Shiro finds Keith in his room in the grotto, a couple fire symbols scattered around the walls, likely to help rejuvenate Keith or something else. He doesn’t know how a Flamela is supposed to work, actually.

“What do you want, human?” Keith asks, huffing as he sulks in his bed.

And Shiro only calls it sulking because it’s cute even though he knows Keith really is upset, “I guess to make sure you’re okay, really. Do you need to talk to someone?”

Keith scoffs and walks out the room, “What I need is something to beat up. Or something that’ll heal Pidge faster.”

Shiro follows him out, “I can swing a good punch or two, if it’ll help. So long as you don’t use your magic, it should be an even fight.”

Keith laughs, but it isn’t a happy laugh, “I’ve been alive for the last few hundred years and have fought millions of people of every fighting style imaginable during that time, all of them ready to kill me just for the sake of getting in their way. Don’t give yourself that much credit.”

Shiro gulps, “Oh.”

Keith huffs as he stomps into the dusk, “Yeah, oh. I better get on patrol. If those fuckers could hurt Pidge that badly, then we’re in trouble.”

Shiro watches as he bounces away into the burning night.

* * *

Keith makes it to the river, just encase Lance needs anymore water and brings it back with him. He walks, something he almost never does, slow and thoughtful.

He shouldn’t have gotten so pissed off at Shiro. He was only trying to help. He should apologize when he gets back to the grotto. What kind of berries was it Shiro liked the best in the forest again? Oh yeah, the strawberries.

No shock; they’re so sweet, the reddest thing he’s ever seen besides his own fire. He likes them a lot himself.

Keith forges himself another bucket to hold everything and walks closer to the berry patches, setting the water down to gather them up. Maybe Hunk would be willing to help him try to create a human treat or something for Shiro. He should probably say sorry to Lance and Hunk too, while he thinks about it. He was a jerk-

SNAP!

Keith turns around-

“Good night, savage.”

BLAM!

_ The monsters who had tortured the traveller had made it into the Burning Forest, deep enough to reach the heart of the forest. They had an army with them, but the savage refused to allow them to get to the grotto, fighting them for endless hours. _

_ The nymph and the golem joined in with the fight when they realized the savage was in danger, but it was already too late. The savage had been injured beyond repair, falling dead on the ground as the Burning Forest finally went out. _

_ It is said that one can still hear the traveller’s wailful cries whenever a wind passes through fire, the only way for the two to touch now being through the elements they represented. _

Keith scoffs, “Clearly a homophobic bastard wrote that.”

Shiro laughs, “True, but our old country was full of that.”

Keith smiles, “At least in this life we managed to get somewhere that doesn’t give a damn if I hold your hand or kiss you.”

Shiro smiles and nuzzles their noses together, “That’s only because this time around you’re the king in charge of this place, protecting all us homos under your crown.”

Keith shrugs, “True. At least you were determined enough to make it up to head of the royal guard or we might not have met.”

“We would have.” Shiro declares, “I’d have made sure of it.”

Keith smiles and kisses him, “I knew you would.”


	3. Masquerade

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Red Lion is shaming the Galra Empire. Sincline is pranking the guards. What of Prince Lotor and Keith though?

“Did you hear?! The Red Lion stole the Enchanted Tiara of Princess Allura, something only an Altean could hold!”

“So the rumours must be true! He really does work for that wretched gang of rebels.”

“You fools, the Alteans have been extinct for the last 10,000 years, our mighty Emperor ensured the assassination of Princess Allura was the last.”

“But weren’t there rumours that she had a child which fled the sight of her beheading?”

“The old pointy-eared woman was barely of marriageable age, let alone child bearing. That sort of talk was just there for the drama.”

“But you have to admit, it’s hard to believe another great treasure has been stolen by some petty thief. It’s an embarrassment to us all that the bumbling fools keep letting this happen.”

“Hasn’t the Emperor changed head of security for every stolen item though? Perhaps it is not the security but the Emperor’s fault himself?”

“Don’t talk like that, it’ll get you killed!”

“We all know that’s what we’re all thinking though! The Red Lion has stolen a thousand things from us. Is it hard to believe he couldn’t steal more with so many failures at once?”

“Then the next question would be, what will he steal next?”

* * *

Zarkon stands at the end of the hall, smirking as he holds the mighty blade, “Looking for this, Red Lion?”

The Red Lion scowls, bleeding from the Blazing Sword’s attacks. The wind from the weapon is strong enough to cut steal, he barely managed to get out of the way in time to keep his arm.

Zarkon smiles and walks around him, “I’d always assumed you were just some fool looking for fame and those trinkets really weren’t that special. But when you sent in your letter, declaring your intent to steal the Blazing Sword, I knew I couldn’t stand idly by and let you continue to make a fool of my empire and men.”

The Red Lion huffs a laugh, “Your highness, you and your people do that well enough on their own, you don’t need a petty thief to prove to you just how pathetic you are.”

Zarkon scowls, “How about we finally find out what’s under that horrid mask, shall we?”

The Red Lion prepares for a fight.

Zarkon lifts the Blazing Sword-

“Excuse the interruption-”

The Blazing Sword vanishes.

The Red Lion is hoisted onto someone’s shoulders.

“-but I’ll be taking these things.”

The Red Lion grunts as he finds himself on the ground in the woods outside the palace.

“Who the fuck are you?!” The Red Lion demands.

The person continues to walk away, dressed in blue, black, purple and orange, “You may call me Sincline. Keep that sword away from Zarkon, I don’t really have anywhere to hide it.”

The Red Lion stares at him until he disappears into the night. He grabs the Blazing Sword and gets the hell out of the forest before the guards come looking for him.

* * *

“Dude, you look rough. What happened last night?”

“That stupid little prankster Sincline visited us and took off with my sword!”

“You loser, how’d you let the little Altean bitch get away with it?”

“Shut up, you have no right to talk since he stole your helmet right out from under you!”

“Honestly, this is just sad. Not only is the Red Lion stealing every trophy we have from past conquests, but Sincline is turning us all into jumpy pathetic losers.”

“Remember the days when the Emperor wasn’t cutting our pay for every stolen item of value? I could actually feed my family back then, but now I can barely keep up.”

“It is nerve wrecking. I don’t want to see my wife starve, especially with her being pregnant right now. The baby shouldn’t have to suffer because we’re all incompetent.”

“I heard my brother is making more per hour at his bakery then I am at here daily.”

“You’re joking!”

“Not at all. I checked with him twice, but it’s true. A bloody baker is making more money than us.”

“That’s it! Next time I see either the Red Lion or Sincline I’ll stuff them down a bin and present them to Emperor Zarkon myself!”

* * *

Lotor hums as a knock comes from his window. He smiles as he opens it, “Why hello dear stranger. How are you on this fine evening?”

The roguish man smiles back at him, most of his face hidden by the mask shaped like a lion’s face, painted in bold shades of red and blacks that should stand out but somehow allow him to disappear into the night. The only space is for his eyes to see, revealing the most beautiful purple eyes the prince has ever seen.

“Much better now that I can finally see my stars again.” The Red Lion replies, leaning towards his lover, “Oh how I’ve missed you on those dark nights when I can only see you in my memory.”

Lotor snorts and steps aside, “Get your butt in here then, before someone who likes my father sees you.”

The Red Lion laughs as he slips into the room, taking of his mask, “I can’t believe I actually just said that, what was I thinking?”

Lotor smiles and curls his arms around the man, “I think it was very charming. Could have me wrapped around your finger if you talked like that.”

The Red Lion smiles and turns back to him, “As if I don’t already have you all around me.”

Lotor smiles and brushes a few strands of inky black hair out of the way, “True. But it’s exactly where I want to be so who cares…”

The Red Lion settles against him, “That’s a dangerous thing to say. People would think you were in love with me, my lord. Or that I had bewitched you.”

Lotor chuckles, “People can say what they like. Now, may I have what you came for?”

The Red Lion shrugs, “Why not?”

They stayed up the whole night telling stories to each other and making each other laugh, then hiding the Red Lion under Lotor’s bed so that the servants or the Emperor wouldn’t see him.

* * *

“What?! You think Prince Lotor has a secret lover?!”

“That’s such an outrageous claim to make! What evidence do you have?”

“I was up late one night, doing the typical dusting when I heard the sound of giggling. I got closer, thinking some of the children were playing games, only to realize it didn’t sound like the children at all. It sounded like the Prince!”

“So, he was giggling? What does that have to do with anything?”

“I heard another voice giggling with him! The Prince never smiles, yet he was laughing with whoever was in his room with him! I was going to investigate more when one of his bodyguards ordered me away!”

“It isn’t like them to be so harsh on us. Typically they only ask us things, I don’t think I’ve ever heard of either of them ordering us around.”

“She also said that they were Prince Lotor’s orders! Prince Lotor never gives us orders!”

“My goodness, there must have been something incredibly scandalous to have us ordered away like that.”

“What a lucky girl though, to have the Prince as a lover.”

“Actually I don’t think it was a girl.”

“WHAT?!”

* * *

Keith smiles when he hears the footsteps on the floor, the poor excuse of sneakiness, “You’ll never be able to get into Central Command with footsteps like that.”

“Oh darn.” Sincline chuckles as he enters the room, removing his mask, “Good thing I wasn’t trying to sneak into Central Command then. Nor do I really need to.”

Keith tolls over and kisses him on the nose, “How was your night of pranks, love? Scare the crap outta a few soldiers?”

“Oh yeah, Throk was shrieking when he heard my giggles all around him. I might have driven him slightly mad.” Sincline settles in next to Keith, holding his hand, “I am very tired though. I don’t think I can make any food for us to eat.”

“Lucky for you, there’s still dinner left and it should be warm.” Keith slips off the bed, “I’ll bring it in here and you can eat as much as you want.”

Sincline lets out a sigh, “What would I do without you love?”

Keith shrugs, “I don’t know. Starve?”

Sincline nods, “Likely.”

Keith laughs and goes to get the food, “Dork.”

* * *

“Did you hear?! People are saying that the trickster Sincline and the Red Lion thief are lovers!”

“But aren’t they both men?!”

“It’s against Empire rule for two men to associate with each other like that.”

“How disgusting! Not only are they making fools of our great empire, they’re faggots too!”

“But it is kind of romantic-”

“WHAT?!”

“Think about it for a moment! Two lovers, against the greatest empire in the world, making a fool of it while being together. It is kind of endearing.”

“Endearing or not, lovers or not, they are still criminals and should be treated as such. When the Empire finally takes them, they’ll be burned at the stake just like the petty thieves they are.”

* * *

Keith and Lotor slump against each other, groaning.

“What the hell were we thinking when we signed up for this?” Lotor asks.

Keith shrugs, “That we could piss of your stupid dad?”

Lotor huffs, “Not worth this. So, so not worth this.”

“It was your idea to try stealing his armour, don’t try to blame this on me.” Keith adds.

“Wasn’t planning on it.” Lotor groans.

A beat of silence later, Keith moves to stand, “Come on, we’re gonna have to report in at some point.”

The two wordlessly prepare for that occasion, changing their cloths and preparing food so they don’t go in hungry. They hide away their costumes and their treasure in their bags, so they could smuggle it to HQ. They put on their civilian clothes, hiding away their distinguishing features until they look like normal people.

The two leave the house and take two different routes to ensure they aren’t followed.

* * *

“Did you hear? Prince Lotor is now the Crowned Prince Lotor! He’s finally come of age!”

“Who do you think he’ll be married off to?”

“Will he take over for his father? The Emperor is getting a bit old now.”

“I doubt it. The Emperor clings to his power and reputation like a spoiled child. That’s why he’s throwing such an extravagant ball for his son.”

“Shhhh! Do you want to die?! Someone will kill you for talking like that about the Emperor!”

“Yeah, yeah, I really don’t care right now.”

“But back to the much more important matter at hand; who’s going to marry the Prince?!”

* * *

Lotor smiles as he spins his partner around, “You certainly play the part of mysterious princess very well, love.”

“Just my luck I have the hips to pull of this shitty disguise.” Keith chuckles, letting himself be twirled, “Look at all those jealous little rich girls in the crowd.”

Lotor huffs, “I’d much rather be looking at you.”

Keith flushes behind his mask, “You flatterer.”

Lotor smiles and leans towards him, nuzzling his hair, “Simply honest, love. How much longer do you think we need to distract this crowd?”

Keith leans into him, “I don’t know. I haven’t seen the signal from Blue anywhere.”

Lotor wraps his arms around Keith, “Hang on, I can see Green. Everything’s still on track, but we’ve gotta keep ‘em distracted just a little bit longer.”

“They’re gonna get bored if we just keep doing normal ballroom sway.” Keith mutters, “Wanna kick it up a bit?”

“Oh love.” Lotor gestures to the band and a more upbeat song that you’d sooner hear in the market than a ballroom starts up, “I’m always eager to kick it up.”

* * *

“Ever since Prince Lotor took the charge of the Empire, things sure are good. I don’t think I’ve ever earned that much in one shift, plus Red Lion and Sincline have stopped attacking.”

“I do feel bad for the Emperor. Falling ill in the winter, just after his son is crowned as well.”

“You realize how suspicious it is though, don’t you?”

“Who cares? Things are so much better with the Prince in charge right now. My wife can actually afford to feed our child a decent amount of food everyday now, without us going hungry either.”

“You must admit, he’s doing a much better job than the Emperor did. My brother spoke to some travellers the other day who said the Prince had visited their village personally to ask the people what they needed to change so they could live decently.”

“I heard he’s trying to make alliances with other nations by giving them back territory that the empire took from them.”

“I heard that too! He gave a big speech about how the empire alone can’t rule this world and needs allies not slaves to make it stronger. When one of Zarkon’s old generals had a plot to kill him, he fought the man in public and utterly destroyed him! I wonder what happened to him after that…”

“I know! It was Throk, I heard that the Prince offered him to the Puigians for his war crimes!”

“He did perform unspeakable acts though. Whatever the Puigians are going to him has been a long time coming.”

“A lot of Zarkon’s old generals are being trialed and given to other nations for their punishments, actually. Do you think this is a good thing?”

“I’d like to think so. It will help secure these alliances the Prince hopes to gain.”

“But what happens if the Emperor comes back? He’s supposed to only be ill, isn’t he?”

“I suppose we’ll find out  **if** he comes back.”


	4. Star Crossed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pidge is a girl made of flowers. Lotor is a boy running away. Neither of them are happy. But could they have a chance at happiness?
> 
> Even if it's only in the after life?
> 
> (Bonus points to whoever can tell me what story this is based on, without researching)

_Star crossed; To be ill fated or not favoured by the stars, which are said to control our destinies._

_Typically when you hear the words star crossed, you think of lovers, don’t you? Likely the most famous of any and all time; Romeo and Juliet, the young lovers who killed themselves because of their families’ great hatred of one another. Though only fictional characters, their story is one of the most famous in all the world. Why might that be?_

_Why do these star crossed lovers have their story told and retold again and again?_

_What of other star crossed lovers in history?_

_What made it impossible for these other lovers to be together?_

_How did they meet in the first place if they were so ill fated?_

_Allow me to introduce you to a pair of star crossed lovers whose conflict ended in more than just their own misery._

_Our story begins a long, long time ago, when humans were new to the Earth and still figuring out where they belonged on it..._

* * *

Honey brown eyes blink open, “Where am I?”

“You’re in the Castle of King Alfor, girl.” A woman declares, “I am Empress Allura and you are a girl made from flowers. You were made because someone dear to me has been cursed. He can not marry any girl from any family on this earth and so I created you to be his wife. I’ll take you to meet him now.”

The honey brown eyes blink and follow the woman with hair as white as a sheet and skin as dark as chocolate. The eyes look all around and at her new body. Creamy pale skin. Soft hair, the same colour as her eyes, reaching to her lower back. A green dress with blooming juniberries all over the fabric, extravagant and puffy, making walking a little difficult. White tights and sleeves to hide her skin. High green shoes.

She doesn’t like it.

The doors open and reveal a mighty throne room. On the throne sits a young man who appears to be the Empress’s near twin; only his hair is brown.

“Brother, I present to you your wife.” The Empress declares, “A girl of no family in this world, made only of flowers. She is yours to have, yours to love and yours to name.”

The girl really doesn’t like the sound of that.

The man on the throne smiles at the Empress, “Thank you, sister. She’s beautiful, I couldn’t be luckier.”

The Empress smiles back.

The man turns his eyes to her and smiles, “Hello miss. My name is Prince Lance. I am the Empress’s younger brother and with our union, you will become next in line for the throne should anything go wrong.”

The girl decides she hates him.

“It is an honour to meet you, my lord.” The girl drops to a knee, “I can not wait for our wedding day and to be with you for the time I have on this Earth.”

The Prince smiles, “Rise, my love.”

The girl stands.

“From this day forth, your name is Katie.” The Prince states, “Princess Katie.”

She hates the sound of that.

* * *

Lotor rides as fast as he can, chasing the winds and escaping imprisonment. He rides through dark of night and bright of day, allowing his horse to rest more than he himself does. But he reaches refugee soon enough.

A mighty castle on the other side of a lake. He sees a maiden in the window and has his horse trot towards her.

“Excuse me miss!” He calls up, “Could you spare a bit of food or water for my horse and myself?”

The maiden blinks at him and Lotor fights down a blush; goodness, he hadn’t realized she was this beautiful. Like a wild flower, he sees a fire burn in her eyes and swears he sees thorns in her hair. He knows this is not a woman to be trifled with.

“I can do a bit more than that.” The woman smiles, “Come inside my castle, the servants are almost done preparing a dinner for myself.”

Lotor bows deeply to the woman, “Thank you miss!”

The woman points to the side of her castle, “The entrance is around there. I’ll send word for someone to take care of your horse and yourself.”

Lotor stands, “I’ll see you soon then miss.”

He walks around to the ground entrance and finds the doors opening by the time he reaches it. Two people walk out of the castle.

“Hello, good sir.” Both bow deeply to him.

Lotor flushes and bows back, just as deeply, “There’s no need for that, but thank you.”

One of the servants stands, “Shall I take your horse to our stable?”

Lotor nods, “I’ll worked him incredibly hard, please treat him as best as you can. Thank you uhh…”

“I’m Matt.” The servant smiles and takes the reigns, “Don’t worry, your noble steed is in good hands.”

“Thank you, Matt.” Lotor smiles and turns to the other servant, “And thank you as well uhh…”

“Colleen. I’m Matt’s mother.” The servant states and gestures to the castle, “Please, come inside. I’ll see to it that you’re washed, have cloths and are well fed.”

Lotor follows after her, “Thank you so much, Colleen. Could you perhaps tell me of this castle? I’m not familiar with the area and would like to know more.”

“Well, this is the castle of Prince Lance.” Colleen states, “The Prince is currently away on a diplomatic mission and is having his wife look over the castle. She’s the one who requested that Matt and I take care of you and your horse. Is there any reason you’ve been in the area?”

“I got lost while searching for the capital.” Lotor half-lies, “I was hoping to find some work in the capital since my family are in need of money.”

“Well I’m sure you’ll be more than welcome in the castle.” Colleens smiles at him kindly, “It’s not often the Princess invites anyone inside. You should feel honoured.”

Lotor nods, “I do. I will give her my deepest thanks once we meet face to face.”

Colleen chuckles, “There’s no need for that. She won’t accept them.”

Lotor blinks, “Why not?”

“She doesn’t think offering hospitality to strangers requires thanks.” Colleen explains, “She is fond of people being in the castle and considers it a pleasure rather than something to be thanked for.”

Lotor nods, “I see.”

Colleen gestures to a door, “In here you will find hot water and soaps to clean yourself, along with clean cloths. If they don’t fit, just let me know, I’ll be outside here.”

Lotor bows to her deeply, “Thank you for your kindness and conversation Colleen. Please let the Princess know I’ll do my best not to keep her waiting.”

Colleen chuckles, “Once my husband Sam comes by, I’ll let him know to send the message.”

Lotor stands and enters the room.

* * *

Pidge squirms nervously as she looks in the mirror, “Sam, do you really think this is appropriate for meeting him?”

She’s wearing a dress, one of the least extravagant ones she can get away with wearing whenever her husband isn’t home. It’s a shade of green she likes, not a shade the Prince likes, with flowers she likes decorating it, like daisies and dandelions. Her arms and legs are bare, something the Prince wouldn’t have ever allowed in front of her own servants if could help it.

“Pidge, are you comfortable in what you’re wearing?” Sam asks.

Pidge nods, “Yes, I like the dress and I feel okay going to meet this man in it-”

“Then that’s all that matters.” Sam states, smiling kindly, “So long as you are comfortable in your clothes, then that’s all that matters. Besides, I wouldn’t have said it was an option for you to wear if it wasn’t appropriate, I wouldn’t let you be humiliated like that. Just be yourself tonight.”

Pidge smiles and hugs him, “Thank you, Sam.”

Sam hugs her back, trying to pour all the love he has for this child into her body, “It’s no trouble, kiddo. Now let’s get you to the dining hall.”

Pidge nods and steps back from him. Sam opens the door for her and outside it they find Matt, panting up a storm.

“Mom said that…” Matt straightens, “our guest is on his way. He sends his thanks for the invitation to dine and the chance to clean himself.”

Pidge smiles and hugs Matt as well, “Thanks for letting me know, Matt. Try and get some rest after all that running.”

Matt smiles, “No issue, Pidgey. I’ll see you later. Good luck on your date!”

Pidge flushes, “Matthew!”

Matt laughs and sprints down the hall, “Bye, bye Pidge!”

Pidge groans and hides her face, “What is wrong with him?”

Sam shrugs, “Nothing Pidge. He’s just teasing. It’s what big brothers do to their sisters.”

Pidge blinks and smiles, “Big brother, huh?”

Sam nods and turns to the hall, “Shall we go?”

Pidge smiles and takes his hand, “Yes please.”

The two walk down the halls exchanging conversation and Sam helps Pidge into her chair. Other servants start putting food on the table and take their seats. Pidge smiles as she sees her people from all over the castle talking freely and enjoying their time together.

Then Colleen opens the door and declares, “To Princess Pidge, I present to you our esteemed guest; Lotor Sincline!”

The hall clap as the sheepish guest walks into the castle, looking a bit nervous and out of place despite the princely clothes he wears being a perfect fit. Colleen escorts him to a seat next to Pidge and helps him sit, then takes her own seat.

“This is certainly an elaborate spread.” Lotor murmurs, then turns to Pidge who feels her face heat up, “I don’t know of many royals who eat with their servants.”

Pidge chuckles, “I only married into the throne and even if I had, I wouldn’t be any different then the people I eat with. I do my best to treat them as kindly as they treat me, but I do feel as if I fall short on that most of the time.”

Lotor smiles, “I’m certain you aren’t doing that bad if you’re kind enough to allow me inside when I only asked if you had any food for my horse and me.”

Pidge scoffs, “That’s just basic kindness, it would’ve been cruel if I’d left you to suffer.”

Lotor shrugs, “Still, it is greatly appreciated, so I will say thank you for that.”

Pidge blushes and turns to her food, “Whatever.”

Lotor smiles and turns to his own food. The two talk through their meal, finishing quickly and laughing as they tell one another stories. A few servants come forward and start entertaining everyone, causing even more laughter and tears through the hall. They eat for a while and then start to head into the kitchens so that the plates could be cleaned. Pidge follows through with Colleen.

“Where are you going, Pidge?” Lotor asks.

Pidge turns back, “I’m going to help with the clean up. Colleen says I’m getting better at washing plates, so I’m going to do that.”

Lotor stands, “Is there anyway I can help?”

Colleen hums, “You are rather tall. Do you mind putting the plates and such away when we can’t reach them? Sam will show you where they belong.”

Lotor nods and smiles, “I can do that.”

With that, they enter the kitchen to work.

* * *

_Time marches forever onwards. The two continue to see one another, hiding Lotor in the castle catacombs whenever the Prince visits the castle and treats Pidge as Princess Katie, his wife, though she loathes every night she spends with him, she knows she can’t escape her creation. She was cursed to do as her husband requests of her._

_She maybe able to call herself a different name whenever she is away from the Prince._

_She maybe able to feel part of the family the Holts offer to her._

_She maybe able to fall in love with another man._

_But at the end of the day, Pidge knows she is still Princess Katie, a girl born of flowers to wed a man who could not be with any woman from any family in this world._

_She hates it._

_She cries because of it._

_She screams because of it._

_But it cannot be changed._

_Unless…_

* * *

“Is this really the only way?” Colleen asks, “Is this the only way we can save her?”

Lotor nods, “On the days I’ve been away, I’ve been researching spells and ways to protect her. The Prince’s death is the only way to free her from his commands, not even the one who created her could free her.”

Sam sighs, “How do we find out how he can be killed though? I know with that women of this world curse, it also came with protection from most ways he could die. He wouldn’t be stupid enough to tell any of us the one way he could be killed. I mean, he’s stupid, but not that stupid.”

Matt hums, “We could tell Pidge about the plan and she could coax it out of him?”

Colleen gasps, “But what if she gets hurt or in trouble?! There’s no telling what the Prince would do to her if he found out she was plotting his death.”

Matt hums in worry.

Sam looks at his feet.

Lotor lifts his head, “We’ll tell her our plan and if she decides she doesn’t want to be a part of it, then we leave it alone. We’ll figure out if there’s any other way to kill him without putting her at risk.”

“Agreed.” Sam declares.

“She should at least know if we had something planned to help her.” Matt states.

Colleen sighs, “What choice do we have if we want her to be happy and safe?”

Lotor turns to the door, “I’ll talk to her when she visits me before dinner time. You guys should go before you’re missed.”

The Holts nod and leave their co-conspirator to the darkened tunnels.

* * *

Pidge sighs sadly as she shuffles away from the Prince.

“Katie, what’s wrong?” The Prince sits up and grabs her shoulder.

Pidge flinches and chokes out a whimper, “I’m just so scared.”

“Oh love, what of?” The Prince draws her into his arms and her skin itches where he touches her, “Please tell me so I can make it better?”

“They say that war is brewing on the seas and that you’ll have to fight to protect us and I…” Pidge lets tears fall as the feeling of being in his arms hurts her, “I’m terrified of you dying in battle! I couldn’t ever handle that, being all alone in this world.”

“Oh, my lovely flower, that won’t ever happen.” The Prince kisses her forehead and Pidge wants to puke, “I can’t be killed while on horseback, with my feet on the ground, inside a house or outside it. No ordinary weapon could kill me either. I’m perfectly safe in battle, dear.”

Pidge whimpers, “But what kind of weapon can kill you then? Is it enchanted? Does it exist in this world? Could someone use it on you at sea?”

“Oh Katie, no.” The Prince runs his hands over her back and she wants to die, “The weapon that could kill me doesn’t exist, my sister’s made sure of that. The only thing that could kill me is a spear worked on for every Sunday of a year and it must be thrown by the forger. That’s why weapon forgery is forbidden on Sunday.”

“But what if someone were to break the law and find you somewhere that isn’t horseback or on the ground, or in or out of a house?” Pidge cries, choking on sobs, “The ocean has no land to be stood on and the castle isn’t much of a house.”

“Oh my little daisy, I can’t be killed on the ocean either, nor inside the castle.” The Prince explains, “I can only be killed if I were to stand with one foot on a tub, another on a billy goat with twigs hanging over me and if I were by the riverbank. I’d never be silly enough to do that.”

Pidge sniffles, “Are you certain?”

“Hey.” The Prince lifts her head and kisses her lips, “I’ll never leave you in death, Katie.”

Pidge wishes more than ever she wasn’t bound to this man, “Promise?”

The Prince kisses her ring and smiles at her, “I promise.”

Pidge goes to sleep smiling for real.

* * *

_And so the Holts, Lotor and Pidge worked to create the spear in secret. Whenever the Prince came home, Pidge insisted on picnics at the riverbed to help get him to lower his guard and stop thinking of the place as somewhere he could be killed._

_Lotor worked tirelessly on the spear for every Sunday and practised throwing other spears on the Monday to ensure his aim wouldn’t be off when the time came._

_He and Pidge grew ever closer and soon, all the servants were gossipping about the romantic tension between the two. They were loyal to Pidge only though, they had little care for the Prince and so never said a word when he was in the castle._

_They all could see how sad she was whenever she would be taken away from talking to a servant by a glare the Prince would shoot her with._

_They all could see how sad she was whenever she sat beside him at meals with only the servants tending to their meal for company._

_They all could see how sad she was whenever she had a letter from the Prince, informing her of his soon to be return._

_So if more servants started muttering about eagerly awaiting the day the Prince would perish, then no one mentioned it to the Prince’s face. No one said it to Lotor or the Holts or to Pidge either, but they gave hints of the hatred rising in the castle._

_During the year the spear was being worked on, not one member of the servants retired or was replaced. No one new came in unless it was for a short job. No one would talk to the temporary servants of the not so secret murderous intent behind everyone else’s smiles whenever they gazed at the Prince who was hurting their Pidge._

_They were overly cautious. And it paid off._

* * *

“Oh look, love!” Pidge points excitedly, “It’s a billy goat!”

The Prince laughs, “So it is! I’m gonna ride it!”

Pidge claps her hands in a fake drunk cheer, “Do it, do it!”

The Prince guilds the billy goat to the rub nearby where he could use it to get on the animal. He ducked down to avoid hitting the branches over his head, reaching a foot out to the goat while keeping his other foot on the tub-

SWISH!

“WATCH OUT!” Pidge shrieks in shock.

But it was all much, much too late. The spear had pierced the Prince and where he’d once been, that was now an eagle. The eagle flew away and Lotor came out of his hiding spot.

Pidge smiles as tears start to fall from her eyes, her heart light, her blood singing, “I’m free.”

Lotor smiles back at her, nodding, “I know.”

Pidge laughs and leaps towards him. Lotor catches her in his arms, spinning the both of them around until he fell on his back, his sides week from cackling and his mind dizzy from the turning. Pidge smiles while crying on his chest and Lotor cradles her close to him.

“Do you think I can kiss you now?” Lotor asks.

Pidge chokes, “I’d been waiting far too long for you to do that, stupid!”

The two share a passionate kiss, their blood singing as they relish in the moment. They climb to their feet and race back to the castle.

The Holts were waiting for them.

“Did it work?!” Matt runs to meet them, panting, “Please tell me it worked!”

Pidge nods, still crying, “It worked, bro. I’m free.”

Colleen cries in happiness and holds her child, “I’m so happy for you, Pidge.”

Pidge chokes, hiding her face in Colleen’s shoulder, “I am too, Mom.”

Sam joins the embrace and ruffles her hair, “Welcome to our family, Pidge.”

Pidge smiles and wraps an arm around him too, “Thank you, Dad.”

Lotor grins with Matt, “I’ll organise a party and you join the family reunion?”

Matt gives him a thumbs up, “Do it.”

* * *

Pidge snuggles into Lotor’s embrace, warm and loved under the covers that no longer make her sick to her stomach. The smells around her remind her of the world outside, the wild underbrush, the wind in your hair, the sun on your skin. Lotor feels strong and loving under her hands, but soft and protective around her back where his arms are.

“I’m so glad to be with you.” Pidge murmurs into his neck.

Lotor kisses the top of her head, “As am I. The catacombs aren’t very comfortable unless you’re with me.”

“And you never have to go down there again, if I have any say about it.” Pidge states.

Lotor laughs, “That’s a relief. Thank you, Pidge, for everything.”

Pidge blinks, “But but I didn't really do anything. If anyone should be thanking anyone, it should be me thanking you.”

Lotor shakes his head, “You gave me kindness when all I seeked were resources. You gave me warmth when all I seeked was freedom. You gave me a home when all I seeked was a house. You gave my life meaning, Pidge. Falling in love with you has been the best thing to ever happen to me. I’m just lucky you felt the same.”

Pidge chokes on her tears and rubs her face into Lotor’s neck.

“I never told you why I left my home, did I?” Lotor asks.

Pidge blinks, “Wasn’t it because you were looking for work in the capital?”

Lotor shakes his head, “It’s part of the reason, but not all of it.”

Pidge hums.

Lotor takes a deep breathe.

Lets it out.

“The truth is, Pidge, I’m…”

Pidge takes his hands. They’d been trembling slightly.

“It’s okay.” Pidge kisses both of his knuckles and smiles at him, “You don’t have to tell me.”

Lotor gapes at her.

Pidge giggles.

Lotor smiles as tears slip out his eyes, “How did I get so lucky to have someone as special as you in my life?”

Pidge shrugs, “How’d I get so lucky to have someone as charming as you in my life?”

The two chuckle their way to sleep.

* * *

_It took a year for Lotor to finally be able to open up about his past; about being the disgraced son of General Zarkon on the other side of the sea seeking to destroy the Empire the Prince belonged to. About how when he heard of his father torturing prisoners, he set them free and fought his father to give them time to get away. About being ready for execution if it wasn’t for a young prisoner’s kindness which got them killed._

_But by the time Lotor found his voice, the castle was being raided. The Prince hadn’t died after being turned into an eagle. He’d flown endlessly until his sister, who had searched the kingdom for him finally found him. She’d nurtured the Prince back to health, gave him back his human form and when the Empress heard his tale, she sent an army to slaughter everyone in the castle._

_It was a massacre._

_So many of the servants died that night, burned by the fire as the castle was set ablaze or drowning in the lake as they tried to escape. The catacombs were filled in and anyone left inside suffocated. The only ones who escaped death that night were Pidge and Lotor._

_Pidge was turned into an owl, cursed to be hated by all the other birds and to never show her face during the day._

_And Lotor was slain in the same place the Prince had stood when Lotor threw his spear at him._

_Pidge was forced to live eternal solitude in the dead of night, feeling eternally guilty for the deaths of so many. She was still bound to the Prince’s castle, forced to hunt rats in the slowly crumbling walls that were now so painfully empty when they had once been bustling with warmth. Pidge swore she could still hear the servants crying and screaming on that horrible night when it all went wrong, hear Lotor whispering sweet nothings in their room._

_All the outsiders would ever hear was a mournful hoot during the moonlight hours._

_And it would seem our story is over._

_But legend has it that when one enters the castle, you can still see a girl born of flowers and a secret refugee running for fun around the castle, playing their games of keep away and embracing under the moonlight._


	5. Enchanted Slumber

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pidge is a very busy wizard. Allura is a warrior seeking revenge. Can they come together and form something they both need?

“Pidge! Get your ass outta your lab!”

“I’m working on something sensitive right now, whatever it is can wait!”

“Fine, but your breakfast’s going to be cold!”

“Works for me!”

Pidge huffs and turns back to her work, focusing on the mixtures in front of her. She had a lot of spells and potions she needed to make, plus she had to organise and restock her herbs before she started up another concoction.

The life of a wizard is a busy one, it certainly is.

Pidge finishes stirring her potion, yawns and places it into a jar. She’d rather it not lose any of it’s effectiveness being exposed to the elements for too long. She heads to the door and opens it up. Her roommate has clearly left for his job at the armoury and her breakfast (porridge, perfect) is sitting on the table, no longer steaming.

She mutters an incantation and it starts to steam again.

Pidge grins and twirls her wand, “Ahh, the luxuries of magic. Thanks Green.”

The wand gives a happy wiggle. Pidge sets it on a pillow, petting it once and then turning to the cupboards. She grabs a jar of honey and pours a generous amount onto the porridge, picking up the excess with her fingers and sucking them clean. She puts the lid back on the jar, places it back in the cupboard, grabs a spoon and enjoys her breakfast.

With the annoying yet necessary task of eating done, Pidge cleans the dishes, grabs a dark green cloak, fills a basket with jars and heads for the forest. She passes through sunlight and shadows, listening to the sound of the birds and the rest of the world around her.

Finally, she finds the berry patch.

Pidge lets out a breathe and reaches into her basket for a jar. She makes sure to double check the berries before putting them into a jar. She’d rather not poison herself after all.

Some twigs snap behind her.

Pidge continues her work, calm and quiet.

Something pokes her in the back, “Turn around slowly, witch.”

Pidge chuckles, “Oh dear, it seems one of my enemies has found me without my wand.” She stands and turns around, taking her cloak off her head, “That’s fine by me though.”

She makes eye contact with her enemy-

Freezes-

Feels her face utterly burn.

Long white hair, blue and pink eyes, a snarl on her face and dark as earth skin. A rather skinny sword in her hand, chainmail over her body, a blue cloak and white tights.

The knight blinks, “You’re not Haggar. I know her disguises and this isn’t one of them.”

Pidge coughs, “Uhh, mind taking the sword away please? I’m not up to anything bad, I’m just picking berries.”

The knight removes the sword and smirks, “Oh? If I didn’t know any better however, I’d say that you were picking Deadly Nightshade. Eager to poison someone, witch?”

Pidge shakes her head, face still red, “No, no I swear, this plant can actually have medicinal properties as well. The entire thing from the roots to the fruit might have poison in it, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be used for good.”

The knight hums, “Oh? I suppose it isn’t really any of my business what you do with the plant. I’ll leave you be. Sorry to have disturbed your berry picking.”

The knight walks off.

“Wait!” Pidge calls, “Who are you?”

The knight glances back, blinks and smiles softly, lighting up her whole face, “Allura.”

Then she turns back to the trees and walks away, cloak flowing in the wind.

Pidge slumps and groans, face pink, “When did knights get so stupidly pretty?”

* * *

Allura wanders the marketplace, looking at all the stalls and their wares. The smells and sounds of the marketplace always make her feel better, the sights a reminder of what she’s fighting for, what she seeks to protect.

“Sir Allura!”

Allura turns around and smiles towards her friend, “Oh Lance, how are you today?”

“Oh I’m perfectly fine.” Lance chuckles, “You look as stunning as ever. Any hope in your witch hunt?”

Allura shakes her head, “No, but I did find a girl in the forest.”

Lance blinks and grins widely, “Oh? A girl?”

Allura flushes and stares at her feet, fiddling with her cloak, “Yeah, what of it?”

“Nothing.” Lance hums, “Just wondering if she was anyone of note?”

“Well…” Allura mumbles, “I didn’t actually get her name, even though I gave her mine.”

“Oh darn.” Lance sighs, “If only I had a name, then I could help you seduce her-”

“Lance!” Allura snaps, turning bright red.

Lance laughs, then skips away, “Good luck on your witch hunt, Sir!”

Allura groans into her hands, “What is wrong with that man?”

She goes back to walk around the market and tries not to think too much about the pretty girl she’d seen in the woods with the honey brown eyes, hair of the same shade, a beautiful rosey glow in her cheeks, dark cloak swarming her small frame in an undeniably cute way-

Allura slaps her forehead.

* * *

Pidge sighs once she arrives home, her jars full of varying berries, flowers and plants. She sets them in the correct shelving in her lab, then pets her wand in greeting and goes about making dinner. She finds herself humming the bird’s song while cooking and is humming it still when her housemate comes home.

“Hey, Keith.” Pidge greets, “How were things at the armoury?”

“Awful.” Keith huffs, settling into his seat, “Stupid Iverson said I wasn’t polishing the sword right because I wasn’t doing it his way.”

“I can always put a small curse on him if you want.” Pidge offers, “Just something to give him a bit of bad luck daily.”

“Thanks, but I’d rather not get fired by him falling into a temper.” Keith yawns.

“Oh darn.” Pidge huffs, “I guess poisoning him a little bit is out of the question, too.”

Keith narrows his eyes at her.

Pidge starts serving out the dinner and sends Keith his plate.

“Where’s the hot girl and how’d you meet her?” Keith asks.

Pidge turns bright red and scoffs, spluttering as she grabs cutlery for them both, “What the fuck are you talking about?”

“Pidge we’ve been roomies for a while now, I know the only thing that makes you a this kind is when a pretty girl smiles at you.” Keith states, “Now spill it.”

“Okay, fine!” Pidge throws a knife at him, then a fork, “I was gathering ingredients when some knight looking for someone called Haggar showed up and pointed a sword at my back. Said her name was Aurora or something.”

Keith blinks, catching the cutlery easily, “Don’t you mean Allura?”

“Yeah, that’s it.” Pidge turns to him, “Now tell me what you know if you don’t want me to curse your dinner.”

Keith starts eating, “She’s a former princess from some place called Altea, seeking vengeance for the death of her family or something. Of course, the King was more or less refusing to take her on because she’s a woman-”

“Stupid sexism.” Pidge growls, “Best thing about wizardry, everyone’s a wizard. Girls are wizards, boys are wizards, in between are wizards. Only sexism comes from the individual.”

“Then she beat him and his bodyguards in single combat.” Keith continues, “One by one, they all got their asses handed to them. It was pretty impressive apparently and the King was forced to take her on. When she isn’t witch hunting in the local forests, she’s training the rookies and the best of the men at the same time.”

Pidge turns pink, “So she’s really strong?”

Keith narrows his eyes at her, “Pidge, I know why you’re asking that and I really, really wish I didn’t. But yes. She’s strong. Now please stop so I can eat.”

Pidge scoffs, “Oh fuck you.”

Keith ignores her, eating his food. Pidge does the same, the pink in her cheeks slowly dying.

* * *

“I didn’t expect to see you here.” Allura blinks.

Pidge shrugs, sipping her green tea, “I have to come into town every once in awhile for supplies I can’t pick from the wild or grow in my own time. Plus, I need to sell the potions I make if I want to live. We wizards don’t like to magic up our money, we work for it just like everyone else.”

Allura smiles, “And then you use it to support local businesses or did you trick someone into paying for your drink?”

Pidge scowls, “As if! I used my money just like anyone who can afford to.”

Allura shakes her head, “I was only joking, miss. May I sit here?”

“Do whatever you want, knight.” Pidge scoffs.

Allura smiles and sits across from her, “May I know your name then?”

Pidge blinks and nods, “Pidge. Pidge Gunderson.”

Allura hums, “What a pretty name. It’s cute.”

Pidge turns pink and scoffs, “I didn’t pick it to be cute, genius!”

Allura blinks, “You choose your name?”

Pidge nods, “Yeah, I grew up in a wizarding village and when a wizard reaches of age and passes a little test the head sets up, they become a full fledged wizard and so must choose a name for themself to enter into adulthood and wizardry. I choose Pidge Gunderson and if you ask me, no I will not tell you my birth name.”

Allura hums, “Fascinating.”

Pidge shrugs, “Not really. So, what’s a mighty knight who’s training the royal guard doing in a tiny little shop like this?”

“Reminding myself why I fight, I guess.” Allura looks at the other patriots and the workers as they go about their lives, “When my people feel and I came here, I didn’t know why I fought anymore besides revenge. I didn’t want that to be my only drive, so I decided to go down to the village one day. I saw all these people going about their lives and trying to provide for loved ones… and I knew I had to protect this too. This was just like Altea, so I can’t let it fall.”

“Do you always unload your personal feelings onto people during your second meeting?” Pidge enquires.

Allura winks, “Only to the really cute ones.”

Pidge flushes to her ears and stands up quickly gathering her things, “Oh would you look at the sun in the sky, I have somewhere I really need to be, bye!”

She dashes out of the shop like the devil’s on her heels. Allura giggles and finishes off her drink, then lets out a pleasant murmur:

“Apples and an indirect kiss… How lucky am I?”

* * *

Pidge smiles as she exchanges potions with the herbalist, “Thanks so much. This’ll help make my breakfast a lot sweeter.”

“Like things sweet, miss?” The woman asks with a smile.

Pidge shrugs, “What can I say? I’m a bit of a sucker for sugar.”

The woman hums, “Well, I just so happen to have some blue berries on me but I’m not a fan of the fruit. Could you take them off my hand, dear?”

“I’d love to!” Pidge smiles, taking the berries and reaching into her cloak, “Oh, here. This’ll help with keeping other fruits fresh. Some exotic fruit called a lemon and an orange are mixed in here together and when you pour it over apples or anything else that turns brown quickly in the air, it helps to slow down that process a lot.”

“Thank you so much dear, this’ll be very useful!” The woman nods, “Good luck!”

Pidge waves to the woman as she heads back into the forest. She races back to her cottage and immediately starts preparing a fruit bowl. She slices up the blue berries the woman gave her, along with the ones she picked the other day, some blackberries, raspberries and apples. 

Pouring some spare lemon and orange juice over the bowl, she settles into her lab and begins eating the fruit as she works on another concoction. This is really tasty.

* * *

Keith opens the door with his shoulder, “Hey, Pidge, help me out here, would ya?!”

No response.

Keith groans and shoves the armour on the table, “What the fuck, dude?!” He storms towards the door to her lab, “Since when do you ignore m-”

He opens it.

Gasps.

“PIDGE!”

* * *

“Did you hear the rumours?!”

“You mean about the young witch who lives outside town with that hermit? What was her name again?”

“Pidge, Pidge Gunderson! She always made my son’s medicine, it’s because of her that he’s even alive right now.”

“What happened, what did you hear? You sound so panicked!”

“The other day, after the hermit had finished his work as usual, he left as usual, same old, same old. But then a couple hours later he burst into the shop, begging for someone to get a doctor because Pidge had fainted!”

“What?! Oh no, the poor girl!”

“It gets worse! The doctors who worked for the king saw her, since they owed Keith a favour and said they haven’t got a clue why she fainted or why she’s still asleep!”

“What?! She’s still asleep even after yesterday?”

“Yeah! The doctors think it’s the curse of the Sleeping Death!”

“Then she’s gone forever… The king’s wife fell to the curse and she never awakened, not even to his love or their son’s cries.”

“But who would curse such a kind girl?”

“Wait, remember that new knight? Sir Allura?”

“What of her?”

“She’s in our country on a witch hunter, remember! She’s after a woman named Haggar who killed her family!”

“Then she must have poisoned Pidge!”

“If only I knew the cure. I owe her so much, she’s been so kind to my family.”

“I know how you feel. There isn’t a soul in this town who hasn’t been touched by Pidge’s kindness. I’m sure we’re all very upset over it, not no one could be more upset than Keith. He truly loves that girl as a sister, you can see it in the way he talks of her.”

* * *

Allura knocks on the door.

Keith opens it hesitantly, “Here with any new doctors or news?”

Allura shakes her head, “No, I just… I wanted to see her. Please?”

Keith sighs and opens it wider, letting Allura in wordlessly. Allura nods to him in thanks and walks into Pidge’s room, where she’d been relocated when an examination of her lab hadn’t yielded any clues to why she’d fallen to the curse. The young wizard was in the same green dress and white tights that she’d been found in, sleeping under the quilt.

Or at least, she appeared to be sleeping. Allura knows what the Sleeping Death looks like on someone.

And Pidge is the textbook example.

“Hey Pidge.” Allura greets, sitting on the chair next to Pidge’s bed, “Been a while since our last chat.”

Keith closes the door.

“I remember when I ran into you in that shop and you ran away when I started flirting with you.” Allura chuckles, “Then I checked that berry patch again and you gave me those flowers you’d been picking. They were so pretty.”

Pidge continues to breath silently.

Allura looks to the window, “I remembered when I started carving you that little charm, too. Of course, you never knew about it and now I missed my chance to give it to you.”

A bird tweets and twitters on the other side of the window.

Allura looks at her hands and uncurls them to reveal a necklace with a large charm on it, a maple tree leaf. She starts to cry as she stares at the charm,

“I wish I’d finished this sooner, so I could give it to you while you were awake.” Allura chokes, “I wish I’d looked after you better, I should’ve known Haggar would’ve gone after you. Please, Pidge!” Allura presses her face into the sheets, her shoulders shaking, “I can’t loose you too! I’ve lost too much, please, just wake up!”

Nothing happens.

Allura sniffles and wipes at her eyes, pressing a hesitant kiss to the charm and then putting it around Pidge’s neck. She caresses her cheek as she pulls back.

“I wish I’d kissed you before you were cursed.” Allura murmurs.

Pidge continues to sleep almost peacefully, pale as the sheets beneath her. Allura sighs and presses her forehead to Pidge’s, closing her eyes, murmuring:

“Come back to me.”

Nothing greets her, but suddenly the room seems… warmer. Allura opens her eyes and gasps. The charm, around Pidge’s neck, glows pink in one half and green in the other, two shimmering energies that start to swirl around the leaf, faster, faster, faster-

Gasp-

Bolting upwards-

CRASH!

“OUCH!”/“SHIT!”

Allura chokes on her shock, “Pidge?!”

Pidge groans and rubs her forehead, “Geez Allura, why does your head have to be so hard?”

Allura gapes at her.

“Ugh, I feel awful. Did someone use me in a experiment with death or something?” Pidge looks around the room, “Please tell me there’s some food and water nearby, I don’t think I can walk back to the village like this.”

Allura starts sobbing, “We thought you were dead! You were sleeping for three days straight!”

Pidge shrugs, “That’d explain the hunger and thirst.” She takes in a deep breathe, “KEITH GET YOUR ASS IN HERE!”

Keith bursts through the door, crying, “PIDGE!”

Pidge jumps out of the bed and sways on her feet a little, “Get me something to eat, please.”

Keith gapes at her then laughs as he leaves, “Sure thing, Pidge.”

Pidge yells, “Don’t bother rushing!” She turns to Allura and points at her feet, “Come here!”

Allura blushes as she blinks and then scrambles to obey the order. Pidge grabs her cheeks, stands on her tippy toes, tugs Allura towards her gently and presses a peck to her lips.

“If you wanted a kiss, just say so next time and don’t wait for my supposed death to ask, okay?” Pidge grins, humorously.

Allura smiles through her tears and nods, “Okay.”


	6. Storybook

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Allura wants to bring honour to her family.

“A lovely hair style and a clean body will charm any man who sees you.”

Allura sighs as she’s drenched in cold water, forced to be washed and groomed to be a perfect little bride. She knows she has to do this to bring honour to her family, she has to, but she isn’t very pretty in the first place so the women Nanny takes her to have to work extra hard to make her presentable.

“The perfect cloths will make your natural beauty come through and will entice the men to see your better sides, dear.”

She bites back curses as she’s forced into a million and one dresses until Nanny decides on the perfect match. Anything Allura says she likes is instantly decided against since all she ever seems to choose are unbefitting dresses for a matchmaking ceremony. She’d gladly have this be over with before it even began if she had any choice in the matter.

“The knots and bows will help mold your body to a desirable shape dear.”

She struggles to breathe as the bows and wraps are tightened around her waist, making her figure look as skinny as possible, as if she hadn’t eaten well. Truthfully she hasn’t, having been anxious over the matchmaking ceremony. Allura never expects it to go well, why would today be any different?

“The make up is needed my dear, or else you’ll never catch those boys’ attention.”

Allura nearly cries in frustration as the make up is applied to her face, it feels utterly horrible against her skin, but Nanny won’t make the woman stop and nor can Allura, so she has to grin and bare it, grin and bare it,  _ grin and bare it, grin and bare it, grin and bare it- _

Allura lets out a sigh of relief when she walks into the sun, but then dread sinks into her stomach because just like last year, she knows:

The worst is yet to come.

* * *

Another masterful attempt ends with disaster.” Allura mutters as she looks at her reflection, “Another failed attempt to match me to someone and make my father happy.”

She heads for the garden to let the little cricket go, “Could I ever make them happy without ruining it all again just by being my clumsy, awkward self?”

Allura heads for the bridge and climbs it like she did whenever Nanny wasn’t looking when she was a child, “Can’t ever get it right, I can’t fight what’s inside, who it is that I really am.”

She heads to her ancestor’s grave and prays to them, “Forgive me for not making you proud, but I can’t ever get it right. I’ve tried and I’ve tried, but I can’t ever get it right.”

Allura wipes away the stupid makeup and sits under the cherry blossom tree.

If only she’d finally bloom, like these cherry blossoms.

* * *

Allura watched as one after another, she and the other men failed to follow Kolivan’s orders to reach the arrow he’d just shot, while using those golden disks.

“We’ve got a long way to go.” Kolivan mutters, then tosses the men some sticks.

Everyone catches theirs and Allura reaches for her own-

Lance steals it.

She gives him a stink eye.

He swipes her legs out from under her. Stupid little immature git-

“Let’s get down to business to defeat the huns!” Kolivan orders.

Allura does as the rest of the men do, or at least attempts to. Something always gets in the way though, or she just falls short. Lance stuffs something disgusting down her back. Coran put the tomatos on her arrows without her permission. She makes the bucket of water fall on her head when Hunk, Lance and Keith throw rocks at her. She accidentally somehow gets Lance in the water when she tried to fish.

At least he struggled with the dodging of flaming arrows as much as the others. Not to mention Hunk completely failing when being asked to cut up a rock with his hands. One on one combat with Kolivan was impossible, especially when he wouldn’t put on a stupid shirt! And Keith, surprisingly, didn’t know how to swim so he held everyone up in the water exercises. 

She still couldn’t feel bad for any of them when Keith knocked her support for the rocket out from under her. But she was most disappointed in herself whenever Kolivan would take away her equipment if she wasn’t keeping up with the group.

No matter where she went, she never got it right, did she?

“You’re unsuited for war, go home.” Kolivan ordered, giving her Dynatherm one night after training, “You’re through.”

Allura nearly gave up then and there. Nearly.

Then she figured out the trick to use the metal disks and threw Kolivan back his arrow when he came out of his tent in the morning. And then the rest of the men got better too.

Everyone hit the targets and their tomatos. She ran ahead in the shoulder and weights exercises. Allura got so, so much better in hand to hand combat with Kolivan and managed to knock him to the ground; he actually smiled at her, that man never smiles! Keith figured out how to swim and sprang to life in the water exercises. Lance didn’t steal her staff anymore and got better at dodging the flaming arrows. Hunk broke stones with his bare hands now. Allura managed to catch fish.

They may actually have a chance of winning this war.

And she might finally be fitting in.

* * *

Never mind, these idiots were almost as bad as Nanny back home.

“My perfect girl would have to be someone as pretty as the cosmos, with eyes like stars and skin like the moon.” Lance declares.

Keith scoffs, “Who cares how pretty she is? Rather someone who likes me for my skills and scars anyway.”

“I don’t think I mind if she isn’t pretty or doesn’t think my work is good.” Hunk hums, “I hope she’s a good cook though, at least.”

Okay, saying they’re like Nanny is a bit of an exaggeration, but dear God.

“What about you, Allister?” Lance asks, “Your dream girl would be…”

“Someone with a brain who speaks her mind.” Allura declares.

Of course, they all give her funny looks and Allura soon finds it easy to ignore when they stumble across a ruined battlefield.

* * *

Allura gasps as Emperor Varkon bows to her. Soon everyone follows and Allura stares around in amazement. The Emperor stands and smiles at her.

“What would you like in return for your services, Allura?” The Emperor asks kindly, “A place among my advisors? My son’s hand in marriage?”

Allura bows to him then smiles, “I think I’d rather go home now, if I may.”

The Emperor smiles, “Very well then. Please,” He takes off his gold disk, symbolizing his emblem, “take this to your home, to honor the Altea family.”

Allura places the disk around her neck and smiles, “Thank you.”

She turns back to the others, who all hug her tightly.

“Nice job there, Al!” Lance smirks.

“Don’t miss us too much.” Keith ruffles her hair.

“Be safe on your way back.” Hunk states.

Allura smiles and hugs them all just as tightly, “Thank you all so much for trusting me.”

They let her go and Kolivan approaches them. Allura smiles at him.

“Thank you for all you’ve done, Kolivan.” Allura states, “For sparing my life and training me.”

Kolivan shakes his head, bowing deeply, “Thank you for all you’ve done, Al. I’m sorry for the way I treated you in the past.”

Allura smiles, “Rise up man, it’s fine. Just let bygones, be bygones.”

Kolivan smiles as he stands and watches her go with an odd pulsing in his chest.


	7. Constellations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hunk can hear the stars calling. Kolivan is one set of stars that likes to talk to him. Keith just wants his dad to be happy.

_Once upon a time, there lived a boy who could hear the stars talking..._

Hunk giggles as the excited cub talks on and on about his adventures in the heavens. Keith’s at the point in the story where Lance the Lion had gotten a smack on the head by Pidge the Ram for making fun of Keith. Hunk always found stories about the two so amusing.

“And then she yelled!” Keith stands onto his full bear height, opening his mouth, blinks and then grins even wider if it’s possible, “DAD!”

Keith bound off towards his father and Hunk gets to his feet, laughing as the mighty bear constellation comes to the Earth to retrieve his son before the dawn. Kolivan smiles warmly as Keith jumps into his father’s arms and begins talking his ear off about the time he spent with Hunk.

Hunk chuckles as he grows nearer, “How are things in the heavens, Kolivan?”

Kolivan smiles and Keith pauses, but his tail keeps vibrating with excitement, “They are well Hunk, thank you for taking care of Keith while I spoke to the Sky King.”

“Thank’s for the awesome night, Hunk!” Keith yips, “Can I come back tomorrow night?!”

“I’d love to have you, but most humans sleep at night and I need to sleep sometimes too.” Hunk explains, “Maybe another night, okay?”

Keith nods, giggling, “Okay! I gotta get more stories from Lance and Pidge and Shiro and-”

“He seems to have had a wonderful time.” Kolivan smiles, “Thank you again for taking care of him.”

Hunk smiles, “Again, it’s no trouble. He’s a wonderful cub and I love having him. I’m honoured he likes me so much and is okay with spending time with me.”

Kolivan nods, “Until next night, Hunk.”

“Until next night, Kolivan.” Hunk declares.

With that, the mighty bear and the minor bear take on their true forms, rear into the sky and soon became lost among the rest of the night’s stars. Hunk yawns and resolves to get some sleep done, praying he’ll get into his bed before he passes out.

* * *

“Dad?” Keith calls, “Do you ever wish you could be with Hunk all the time?”

Kolivan pauses in his work and nods, “Yes. It would be nice to spend time with him.”

“Isn’t there some kind of spell you or someone else could perform to let us be with him in the day then?” Keith asks, “You’re a super powerful constellation, something like that should be easy.”

Kolivan hums, “I could do it probably, but you and I both have things we need to attend to in heaven. We can’t go using our powers willy, nilly on our own needs. We have our powers because they’re supposed to help others.”

Keith sighs, “I suppose. But wish granting is so easy, dad! I always have so much power left over every night. And you’re super strong, so you must have even more energy to spare!”

Kolivan shakes his head, “Not quite son. I know you’d rather be doing more enjoyable things and I agree, spending time with Hunk is one of them, but we mustn’t use our powers for ourselves. It will only lead to disaster.”

Keith nods, “Alright dad.” He sits up, “I’ll go see if one of the other constellations could help us out!”

He goes prancing off, giggling as his father starts chasing him.

* * *

“Hey Hunk.” Ryner blinks, “My goodness, you don’t look well dear. Do you need to go home?”

“I’m alright Ryner, I promise!” Hunk declares, “I just stayed up too late listening to the stars and their stories.”

Ryner lets out an fond sigh, “Oh Hunk, I know your gift is a wonderful thing, but you shouldn’t let it get in the way of taking care of yourself.”

Hunk shrugs, “I know and I promise, I’ll be getting an early night tonight!”

Ryner chuckles, “Good. Now, come on, these herbs won’t tend to themselves.”

Hunk follows her into the backroom, just as he always does.

* * *

Hunk blinks as Keith pauses, “You mean it’s possible for a constellation to take a human form and visit the Earth in the day?”

Keith nods, “Yeah, but dad says we can’t perform that spell because it’s selfish to use our powers for ourselves like this when we have jobs to do! And I tried asking the others, but they say they can’t do it either, because they’re not powerful enough.”

“Keith, I’m honoured you enjoy spending time with me so much.” Hunk settles a hand on his head and ruffles his hair, “But your dad’s right. You all have a very important job to do, to make sure that we humans will be okay. We’d be lost without you guys!”

Keith sighs, “I realize that, but I can see how happy you make Dad! He likes you a lot!”

Hunk smiles, “I like him too, Keith.”

“No I mean he like-likes you!” Keith elaborates, waving his front paws around.

Hunk blushes and giggles, “I think you might be mistaken Keith. It’s very flattering to think he could ever return my feelings, but I know he can’t or does.”

Keith groans and falls on his back, “Why are you grown ups always so stupid?!”

Hunk blinks nervously, “I… don’t know?”

* * *

Kolivan smiles as he and Keith reach their home, “How was your day with Hunk today?”

“I had a great time, but he’s being ridiculous, dad!” Keith scoffs.

Kolivan blinks, “Ridiculous? How?”

Keith pouts, “He like-likes you and won’t tell you that because he thinks you don’t like him that way!”

Kolivan turns pink and coughs into his hands, “Now son, what have I told you able telling tales?”

Keith groans, “Now you’re being ridiculous too!”

* * *

“And you want me to go to the Earth and retrieve the staff?” Kolivan asks.

Shiro nods, “You’re our best man for the job, Kolivan. You know the Earth almost as well as Keith does, but he’s far too young for a mission like this.”

Kolivan nods and turns, “I’ll find that staff then.”

Once he leaves the room, Keith blinks from behind Shiro’s throne, peaking out, “Do you think he believes you?”

Shiro shrugs, pulling the staff from behind his chair, “Either way, he’s going to Earth now. Hopefully he’ll finally confess to that star boy how much he likes him. Or at least try to spend more time with him.” He smiles fondly, “That man is a workaholic.”

Keith nods, “Got that right!”

* * *

“Oh Kolivan, what a surprise!” Hunk smiles, “I hadn’t expected to see you, is everything alright? Where’s Keith?”

Kolivan shakes his head, “The Star King’s staff has gone missing and we have reason to believe it’s fallen to Earth somehow. He has asked me to retrieve it, since I have the most knowledge of the Earth.”

Hunk gasps, “That doesn’t sound good. Is there anyway I can help?”

“Have you seen anything that looks like one of your shooting stars?” Kolivan asks.

Hunk hums and thinks for a moment, folding his arms.

“ _Cute._ ” Kolivan thinks.

Hunk snaps his fingers and grins, “Yeah, I saw something like that fall a little while ago!” He points towards the mountains in the East, “I thought I saw a star falling over the mountains. It feel for far longer than most stars normally do, so I thought it was a bit strange.”

Kolivan nods, “On my back then, I’ll need a guild through the area.”

Hunk blushes and nods, “Oh, okay.”

Kolivan takes on his true form and Hunk climbs on, clinging tightly to his fur. Kolivan lunges into the sky and Hunk feels the wind rushing through his hair and cloths, chilling him where Kolivan’s warm fur doesn’t keep him hot.

Hunk fights down a flush as thoughts of being in Kolivan’s warm fur fill his mind.

* * *

“Kolivan, I don’t think we’ll find it now.” Hunk admits, “The dawn is getting nearer, you need to get to the heavens before it’s too late.”

Kolivan glances to the East and knows Hunk is right, “But I can’t leave you out here.”

Hunk smiles and waves a hand, “I’ll be fine, Kolivan, there’s no need to worry about me. Please, just hurry. I think if you leave now, you’ll get into the sky before the sun’s first rays.”

Kolivan scowls, “Not before I take you home. I’m not taking no for an answer.”

He starts to shift into his bear form and Hunk gapes at him.

“Get on.” Kolivan orders.

Hunk smiles softly and climbs on, “Alright. Be quick though, we can’t have you stuck on the Ear-”

He cries out in shock as Kolivan jumps. He wraps his arms extra tightly around Kolivan’s fur, who lets out a pleased growl. Hunk huffs when he hears the amusement in Kolivan’s breathe.

“Oh hahaha, very funny.” Hunk turns his head to the side and fights a yawn.

Kolivan lands outside Hunk’s house just as the sky begins to get a bit lighter.

“Hunk, it’s time to get off.” Kolivan murmurs, turning his head.

He freezes and flushes under his fur when he realizes Hunk’s fallen asleep on him. Kolivan glances around hesitantly and shifts into his human form, carrying Hunk into his house. He settles him into his bed and can’t help but spending a couple seconds observing him-

The sun’s rays touch the sky

Kolivan feels himself weaken and groans, running out the house and for the heavens as fast as he can, barely reaching the stars in time.

* * *

Hunk goes to his front door and finds Allura standing there.

“My goodness Hunk, you look awful. Did you not sleep well?” Allura asks.

Hunk nods, “Yeah. Could you please tell Ryner I can’t come in today?”

Allura nods, “But of course, please go back to bed and don’t worry about a thing!”

The woman dashes off and Hunk trudges back to his bed, falling face first into it. He catches a whiff of Kolivan’s sent somehow and falls asleep to it again.

* * *

“So, Lance found the staff just before the dawn?” Kolivan asks.

Shiro nods, “I’d sent others to look for it when you hadn’t returned at midnight, I was starting to get a bit worried. I was certain I’d had Coran check in to let you know, I’ll speak with him.”

Kolivan groans, “Don’t bother your highness, it’s fine.”

Shiro smiles semi sadly, “Please Kolivan, go get some rest. You were caught in the sun, it’s no wonder you feel weak.”

Kolivan nods and fights a yawn in his throat, “Yes sir.”

He heads to his room and Shiro smirks once he’s alone. That lovestruck idiot nearly got stuck on Earth for this human. He truly must be special.

* * *

Keith shakes his head, “No, dad won’t be picking me up today. He was still sleeping when I left, so he must be really tired.”

Hunk stops smiling, “Oh. That’s a shame, I hope he gets better soon.”

Keith smiles, “Don’t worry, he will! He’ll see you tomorrow!”

Hunk blinks, “Really?”

“Yep!” Keith declares.

Hunk continues to smile as he plays with Keith that night. Pidge comes to get him and then Keith leaves with a gift from the human that he gives to his father.

“From Hunk.” Keith says smugly.

Kolivan opens the box and finds a beautiful bear charm inside it, lovingly painted and carved.

“It looks handmade.” Pidge observes, “I think Hunk made it himself. Must have taken him a while.”

“Aww, I’m jealous dad.” Keith smirks.

Kolivan smiles at the gift and cradles it close to him. Keith rolls his eyes and he and Pidge leave the man to his pining.

* * *

That evening, as soon as the sun’s rays no longer touch the sky, Kolivan heads to the Earth. He walks to Hunk’s house and knocks in human form.

Hunk opens it and gapes at him, “Kolivan! I didn’t expect that to be you, uhh, are you feeling better? I heard you’d been caught in the sun’s first rays because of me yesterday.”

Kolivan shakes his head, “I was fine Hunk, just tired. I hadn’t realized I needed to sleep as badly as I had, so it was a blessing really.”

Hunk smiles, “I’m glad then. Where’s Keith?”

“He’s staying with Lance for the evening, I…” Kolivan flushes as he gets out, “I was hoping to spend some time with you and to thank you for the gift, it… It has been a long time since I was ever given something so wonderful.”

Hunk flushes and fiddles with his hands, “Ohh, it was nothing really, I’m just glad you liked it so much.”

Kolivan takes the plunge, “Hunk, may I treat you to a date? Is that what humans call them?”

Hunk turns pinker, “Like, romantically?”

Kolivan nods.

Hunk turns red and smiles like a loon, “I would be honoured.”

Kolivan smiles and offers Hunk his hand. Hunk takes his hand and the two go into the town.

_So the two loved each other dearly since that day. Even when it was time for the star boy to leave the Earth, the mighty bear loved him and to allow the two to be together, the sky king immortalized the star boy in the very stars themselves._

_And they all lived happily ever after._


End file.
